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Autoimmune disease management by Integrative Medicine

by | May 11, 2023 | Uncategorized

A healthy immune system defends the body against disease and infection. But if the immune system malfunctions, it mistakenly attacks healthy cells, tissues, and organs. Called autoimmune disease, these attacks can affect any part of the body, weakening bodily function and even turning life-threatening.

Scientists know about more than 80 autoimmune diseases. Some are well-known, such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis, while others are rare and difficult to diagnose. With unusual autoimmune diseases, patients may suffer years before getting a proper diagnosis. Most of these diseases have no cure. Some require lifelong treatment to ease symptoms.

Integrative Autoimmune Disorders Care

You may be struggling with an autoimmune disorder and not even know it. If you’ve got persistent, nonspecific symptoms like pain, fatigue and fever, consult with a holistic and integrative doctor in the AIM Integrative Medicine. We can help identify causes and treatments—and we won’t tell you it’s all in your head.

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Collectively, these diseases affect more than 24 million people in the United States. An additional eight million people have auto-antibodies, blood molecules that indicate a person’s chance of developing autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases are affecting more people for reasons unknown. Likewise, the causes of these diseases remain a mystery.

Integrative Medicine Approach for Autoimmune Diseases

Maybe you’ve consulted with doctor after doctor before getting a diagnosis—or, you’ve been told there’s nothing you can do. You may be exhausted, stressed, confused and in pain, and you’re not sure what to try next.

Autoimmune disorders represent some of today’s most vexing diseases. Though not immediately life-threatening, these serious and real conditions—in which your own immune system works against you by attacking healthy cells—wreak havoc on everyday life, causing symptoms that include fatigue, fever, joint or muscle pain, and other inflammatory responses. They’re the second most common cause of chronic illness in America.

Medical experts still don’t know exactly what causes autoimmune diseases. At AIM Integrative Medicine, specialists can help pinpoint your condition and relieve its effects on your life through holistic and integrative practices—including nutritional assessments, functional medicine workups, and traditional healing therapies like acupuncture and homeopathy.

Why choose Dr, Hetal Patel for autoimmune conditions treatment?

At AIM – Integrative Medicine we provide specialized expertise on autoimmune conditions including:

  • Celiac disease
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Graves disease
  • Hashimoto syndrome
  • Post-Lyme disease syndrome
  • Lupus
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Psoriasis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Type 1 diabetes

During your integrative physician assessment, we’ll listen to your story. Then, carefully and over time, we’ll help you choose the best possible treatment plan to restore health and balance to your body’s physical, mental and emotional systems.

How does the integrative medicine approach work toward Autoimmunity diseases?

Integrative Medicine is an approach to healthcare that combines conventional medicine with evidence-based complementary therapies to address the whole person – mind, body, and spirit. Integrative Medicine can be a useful tool in the management of autoimmune diseases, which are conditions in which the immune system attacks healthy cells in the body.

Here are some ways that Integrative Medicine help manage autoimmune diseases:

  • Nutrition: Nutrition is an important component of managing autoimmune diseases. An Integrative Medicine practitioner can help create an individualized nutrition plan that emphasizes whole, nutrient-dense foods and limits inflammatory foods like sugar, processed foods, and alcohol.
  • Stress management: Stress can exacerbate autoimmune disease symptoms. Integrative Medicine offers a variety of stress-reducing techniques, such as mindfulness meditation, yoga, and acupuncture, to help manage stress.
  • Exercise: Exercise can help improve symptoms of autoimmune diseases and boost overall health. An Integrative Medicine practitioner can help create a safe and effective exercise plan that takes into account an individual’s unique needs and limitations.
  • Supplementation: Certain supplements, such as omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and probiotics, have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects and may help manage autoimmune disease symptoms. An Integrative Medicine practitioner can recommend appropriate supplements based on an individual’s specific needs.
  • Mind-body therapies: Mind-body therapies, such as hypnotherapy, guided imagery, and biofeedback, can help manage autoimmune disease symptoms by reducing stress and improving overall well-being.

Frequently Asked Questions About Autoimmune Disorders

Which doctors treat Autoimmune Disorders?
Autoimmune disorders are treated by specialists depending on the type of disease. For example, a rheumatologist treats rheumatoid arthritis, an endocrinologist treats Addison’s disease.

An Integrative Medicine specialist handles all types of cases.

Can a person affected with one Autoimmune Disease suffer from another?
Patients suffering from one autoimmune disease are often prone to suffering from others as well.
an Autoimmune Disorders result in death?
Autoimmune disorders often result in disability especially if they are not treated early. Death could occur if a vital organ is severely affected.
What are some hidden facts about autoimmune diseases?
50 million Americans have one or more autoimmune diseases. Approximately 75 percent of those affected are women. Autoimmune diseases are among the top 10 leading causes of death among American women. Autoimmune diseases tend to cluster in families, impacting multiple family members and generations.
Are autoimmune diseases hard to cure?
Autoimmune disorders in general cannot be cured, but the condition can be controlled in many cases. Historically, treatments include: anti-inflammatory drugs – to reduce inflammation and pain. corticosteroids – to reduce inflammation.
Who suffers more from autoimmune disease?
Women have up to a fourfold increase in risk for autoimmune disease compared to men. Many explanations have been proposed, including sex hormones, the X chromosome, microchimerism, environmental factors, and the microbiome. However, the mechanism for this autoimmune sex bias remains obscure.
What triggers autoimmune diseases?
  • Some medications
  • Having relatives with autoimmune diseases
  • Smoking
  • Already having one autoimmune disease
  • Exposure to toxins
  • Being female — 78% of people who have an autoimmune disease are women
  • Obesity
  • Infections
Can you live a normal life with autoimmune diseases?
In the large majority of cases, autoimmune diseases are not fatal, and those living with an autoimmune disease can expect to live a regular lifespan. Some autoimmune diseases can be fatal or lead to life-threatening complications, but these diseases are rare.
Are autoimmune diseases genetic?
Autoimmune diseases arise from a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental triggers that disrupt the immune system’s ability to ignore a person’s tissue and cells. In rare cases, an autoimmune disease is monogenic, caused by mutations in a single gene.
Are all autoimmune diseases lifelong?
By and large, autoimmune diseases are considered lifelong conditions. Certain illnesses, like juvenile dermatomyositis, can be “cured,” in the sense that with successful treatment, the symptoms never recur. Many kids grow out of other illnesses, like certain types of juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
Do hormones affect autoimmune disease?
The link between autoimmune disease and hormones is bidirectional. Not only can imbalances in your hormones contribute to the onset of autoimmune diseases, but autoimmune diseases in and of themselves can cause hormone insufficiency and imbalance.
Can stress cause autoimmune disease?
Nevertheless, the onset of at least 50% of autoimmune disorders has been attributed to “unknown trigger factors”. Physical and psychological stress has been implicated in the development of autoimmune disease, since numerous animal and human studies demonstrated the effect of sundry stressors on immune function.
What 2 things are responsible for autoimmune disease?
Three factors are at play in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases: genes, the immune system, and the environment where the patient lives. The genes confer what is called “predisposition” or genetic susceptibility.
Can autoimmune be transmitted?
Autoimmune Diseases | Autoimmune Disease Symptoms | MedlinePlus
What causes autoimmune diseases? No one is sure why autoimmune diseases happen. But you can’t catch them from other people. Autoimmune diseases do tend to run in families, which means that certain genes may make some people more likely to develop a problem.
Can autoimmune disease be passed to the baby?
Autoimmune responses in the mother may also target the fetus when autoantibodies cross the placenta, such as neonatal lupus syndrome (NLS) and neonatal thyrotoxicosis.
Does autoimmune affect mood?
The majority of patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases subsequently develop psychiatric symptoms such as depression and anxiety as a result of prolonged illness, excessive pain, and sleep disturbance. Depression can change pain perception, which is linked to fatigue and sleep disorders.
Is autoimmune disease related to mental health?
Autoimmune diseases, like lupus, hypothyroidism, and Type 1 diabetes, have been linked to mental health disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder. If you have an autoimmune disorder and think you may also have symptoms of a mental health condition, you are not alone.
How do autoimmune attacks start?
When the body senses danger from a virus or infection, the immune system kicks into gear and attacks it. This is called an immune response. Sometimes, healthy cells and tissues are caught up in this response, resulting in autoimmune disease.
Are autoimmune diseases cancerous?
Autoimmune disease may also lead to a higher risk of cancers of the blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes, such as leukemia and lymphoma.
Can pregnancy cure autoimmune disease?
Be aware that pregnancy can make your autoimmune disease improve…or not. During pregnancy, some women may see their disease mellow out, while others might see it worsen. Some women might not notice any difference. “Pregnancy has a strange, unpredictable and poorly understood effect on the immune system,”
What is a holistic approach to treating autoimmune disease?
Holistic care and autoimmune diseases
As part of your holistic care treatment plan, we could recommend a variety of strategies, such as:

  • An anti-inflammatory diet centered around whole foods
  • Regular exercise
  • Relaxation and stress management techniques, like yoga, deep breathing, and meditation
  • IV nutrition therapy to address vitamin deficiencies and dehydration
  • Osteopathic manipulative therapy to improve bone and joint alignment
  • Bowen therapy to stretch fascia, a type of connective tissue
  • Acupuncture or massage

We also work with you to restore sleep quality, an essential component for health and wellness that can help decrease inflammation.

Taking a whole-body approach to managing your autoimmune disease can feel overwhelming. However, with our support and guidance, you can enjoy the benefits of these drug-free, noninvasive solutions that provide much better results with less risk than conventional treatments and no downtime.

Integrative Medicine Options for Treating Autoimmune Disease Naturally
Integrative Medicine approaches to treating autoimmune disease consist of the following:

Address Gut Microbiome

Triggers may include sugar, wheat, processed foods, dairy, and gluten. Among other intolerances one may have. Repairing the gut with amino acids such as L-Glutamine may be recommended.

The 5 R Protocol may also be recommended depending on individual needs. This diet consists of removing what is disruptive to the gut. Replacing with digestive enzymes, HCL, or bile that one may be deficient in. Reinoculating with probiotic-rich food sources and nutrient-dense foods. And finally, repairing the gut lining with supportive nutrients such as glutamine.

Rule Out Food Allergies and Sensitivities

Food allergies and sensitivities can impede upon the integrity of the gut lining and lead to systemic inflammation, gut microbiome imbalances, and malabsorption—- and contribute to autoimmune conditions.

Manage and Reduce Stress

High levels of chronic stress can cause imbalances in the immune system and the gut microbiome. Stress can reduce stomach acid in the gut, impede microbial diversity and composition, and contribute to intestinal permeability or leaky gut. Moreover, repeated stress can cause inflammation and wreak havoc on immunity.

Reduce Toxin Exposure

Toxic exposure from the environment can cause oxidative stress and inflammation in the body and wreak havoc on immunity. You can reduce exposure to environmental toxins by using an air and water filter, fragrance-free and natural household cleaners, and switching from plastic to glass storage containers.

Rule out Infections

Infections occur when viruses, bacteria, or other microbes enter the body and multiply. The body’s response to infection often results in redness, inflammation, and fever. Infections can trigger autoimmune disease, especially for those with genetic predispositions. If you suspect you have an infection, it’s important to seek medical attention to rule this possible cause out.

Autoimmune Disease Diet

A significant body of research indicates that plant-based, anti-inflammatory, and whole foods diets may support autoimmune disease.

Research suggests that nutritional approaches with characteristics of both a Mediterranean diet and one rich in whole foods and unprocessed meats have effectively supported autoimmune conditions.